Buy it... if you can appreciate Michael Giacchino's continuously
challenging task of addressing the increasingly hopeless, apocalyptic
fantasy of this franchise while remaining as true as possible to its
musical roots.

Avoid it... if you cannot accept the reality that the optimism and
soaring fantasy of John Williams' music for this concept is officially
dead, the franchise no longer accommodating of innocence and wonder in
its effort to accentuate cheap thrills.

EDITORIAL REVIEW

FILMTRACKS TRAFFIC RANK: #1,875

WRITTEN
10/13/18

BUY IT

Giacchino

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: (Michael Giacchino)
For most of the 2000's, director Steven Spielberg attempted to guide
Michael Crichton's original idea of dinosaur resurrection into a
meaningful future, eventually disowning Jurassic Park III and
giving up on a fourth feature with the original cast. Upon 2015's
Jurassic World and 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,
the franchise reaped the benefits of the concept's reputation without
ever solving Spielberg's original dilemma: How do you maintain the
mystery and intrigue of a dinosaur return without resorting to the
ever-increasingly desperate cheap thrills of seeing the creatures kill
and disrupt human activity? By Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,
the battle had been lost, the cynicism, fear, and bloated melodrama of a
mass conflict of culture emulating the real-life divisiveness of global
socio-political strife stoked masterfully by the likes of Donald J.
Trump and others. The plot of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is
rather meaningless outside of the conclusion that man's ridiculous,
militaristic urge to perpetuate the dinosaurs as weapons or war will
obviously lead to his own undoing. Along the way, most of the dinosaurs
of Jurassic Park's original Isla Nublar are destroyed in a
practically impossible volcanic eruption. All the tenderness from
Jurassic Park and the potential upside of this franchise's future
was literally killed during Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's
extremely poignant scene in which a brachiosaurus dies tragically on the
shores of the island while the storyline literally sails away to its
doom. The presence of Jeff Goldblum and BD Wong from the glory days of
Jurassic Park, joining Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard from
the Jurassic World era, are only roughly as satisfying to the
concept's genesis as composer Michael Giacchino's score is compared to
the original John Williams classic. And yet, Jurassic World: Fallen
Kingdom overcame its middling reviews to achieve monumental box
office success and immediate production on another sequel. The toilet
water continues to swirl...

It's difficult not to reminisce about how Spielberg
adapted Jurassic Park so that there was a perfect blend of
optimism, warmth, and fantasy to mingle with his adventure and horror,
allowing Williams to explore an extraordinarily well-rounded emotional
score for the occasion. By Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,
Giacchino, the era's foremost leader in the compositional extension of
Williams' techniques, was left with mostly the adventure and horror
portions in conjunction with alternations between tragedy and outright
apocalyptic, religious pomp. Giacchino attempts to continue the piano,
harp, and celeste presence of sensitivity originated by Williams,
throwing solo cello into the mix at times, but these passages lack the
genuine heart of the earlier maestro's equivalent sequences, presenting
Giacchino with little room to succeed outside of his accentuation of the
grotesque fantasy element. When separating Jurassic World: Fallen
Kingdom from its context, the score is actually a straightforward
expression of tonal, apocalyptic bombast and a surprisingly satisfying
one at that. Giacchino faced the task of adapting not only Williams'
lingering thematic legacy into this tapestry, but his own original ideas
from Jurassic World as well, the latter inspired heavily by
Williams' structures to begin with. It's difficult to really pinpoint if
and where Giacchino's treatment of Williams' material dissatisfies; on a
technical level, he continues to masterfully interpolate fragments of
the Williams progressions and instrumentation into these newer scores,
and yet the result still seems unnecessarily reinvented. The references
to the Williams themes in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom aren't
as artificial as those in Jurassic World, but there are several
instances in which proper closure of the legacy themes were missed here.
Three Williams identities are outwardly reprised, including the concept
fantasy, adventure, and mystery identities, and the original carnivore
theme arguably makes a distorted cameo as well. From the preceding score
by Giacchino, the main Jurassic World theme and the motif for the
Indominus dinosaur return, with fragments of a family-related theme
arguably interpolated as well.

Freshly minted for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
is a two-part main theme for the dinosaurs' newfound freedom and the
repercussions on humanity, delivering on the apocalyptic implications
with full symphonic and choral glory. More malleable is Giacchino's
newfound theme of tragedy, its placement in the movie suggesting that
goodness itself is going extinct. A militaristic march for the mercenary
gang occupies the first half of the score as needed, and four singular
motifs for specific scenes generate momentary interest in ways similar
to Williams' handling of singular concepts within the larger picture.
While there are several filler cues in this score, meandering minutes on
end without achieving much development outside of underlying mood,
Giacchino does state his main themes with enough frequency to make each
attractively explored. The main Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
theme of religious weight is first heard in its massive choral
incarnation during the lava-flowing title display near the opening of
the film. It lays low for much of the first half of the story, expressed
in eerie choral form at 0:13 in "Nostalgia-saurus" and softly for
celeste and choir at 0:45 in "Operation Blue Blood" before returning to
brief, full-throated form in the concluding crescendo of "Jurassic
Pillow Talk." After a hint at 0:41 in "Wilting Iris," the theme receives
its harshly brass, organ, and choral evolution of magnificence at 0:52
into "Thus Begins the Indo-rapture." A similarly stomping rendition at
1:53 into "You Can Be So Hard-Headed" contrasts with a strained and
faint fragment at 0:37 into "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Free,"
which continues with the theme's pounding bass chords at 1:09. The theme
runs the range of usage in "World's Worst Bedtime Storyteller" again, at
0:22 exploding with harsh brass layers before the idea dissolves with
solo celeste in dissonance at 1:47. A sudden fragment at 2:59 into
"Declaration of Indo-pendence" previews more organ and timpani-stomping
grandeur, and "The Neo-Jurassic Age" understandably traverses from
subtle celeste and choir at 1:24 to a suspenseful atmosphere of dread at
2:09 before erupting with full ensemble force at 3:00 as the creatures
are seen mingling with humans, a closing scene as ridiculous as one
could possibly imagine.

Starting in "Thus Begins the Indo-rapture," Giacchino
presents an interesting secondary interlude to the main theme of
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, one specifically meant to
accentuate the apocalyptic gravity of the situation. Heard first at 1:25
with full choir and organ in that cue, the motif continues similarly at
0:54 into "World's Worst Bedtime Storyteller" before adopting the
score's softer, melancholy half at 1:51 and 2:37 into "The Neo-Jurassic
Age." This passage is a bridge between the main theme's overt dominance
and the score's lovely but defeated tragedy theme. Introduced on piano
at 0:35 into "The Theropod Preservation Society," this idea is typically
joined by a rising harp motif containing a series of three notes
underneath. Giacchino references this theme most powerfully for the
aforementioned brachiosaurus death scene in "Volcano to Death," the soft
choir, solo cello, and chimes allowing the soundscape enough room to
feature the animal's disturbing death cries at the forefront of the mix.
The piano over harp and later solo clarinet expressions of this theme
continue at 1:41 and 2:41 into "Operation Blue Blood" and dissolve to
only the underlying harp motif at 1:28 into "Jurassic Pillow Talk," 0:15
into "Wilting Iris," and, more urgently, 2:36 into "Between the Devil
and the Deep Blue Free." The same harp motif returns in "Declaration of
Indo-pendence" at 0:39 in a defiant brass form and morphs into a
religious statement at 3:35 in that cue. The main progression returns
but is strained at 1:01 into "To Free or Not to Free" for higher
dramatic impact. For the mercenaries of the film on Isla Nublar,
Giacchino offers a stomping march worthy of the Nazis in Spielberg's
Indiana Jones movies, most notably the desert truck chase in
Raiders of the Lost Ark. (Not surprisingly, an old truck chase of
sorts is reprised during the island escape scene here, albeit involving
lava bombs.) This deliberate march exists at 0:16 into "March of the
Wheatley Cavalcade" and at the outset of "Raiders of the Lost Isla
Nublar," the cue title exposing an in-joke. A mutation of Giacchino's
family-related material from the preceding film is applied to similar
characters here, heard on piano at 2:44 into "The Theropod Preservation
Society" and on harp and piano at the outset of "Maisie and the Island."
It's innocuous filler material that becomes overwhelmed quickly by
surrounding fantasy passages.

Among the lesser-developed new ideas in Jurassic World:
Fallen Kingdom are some really appealing singular motifs for various
scenes. One fantasy motif tied to the main theme and the island is
massively gorgeous at 0:56 into "Maisie and the Island" before brief
reprises emerge amongst the panicked rhythms at 1:32 and 3:05 into "Lava
Land." The motif is distorted into determined, march-like form at 1:38
into "Jurassic Pillow Talk." Also in "Jurassic Pillow Talk" is a
different snare-driven military march, one singular to that cue at 0:18,
0:54, 1:18, and 2:06. A singular monster motif throughout "Go With the
Pyroclastic Flow" offers barbaric, primal brass and chanting, with a
little Basil Poledouris from The Hunt for Red October thrown into
the equation. Likewise, "Shock and Auction" offers static, rising
progressions leading to religious chants that are memorable in and of
themselves. At 1:54 into "To Free or Not to Free," Giacchino offers a
mutation of his friendship and tragedy themes for a melodramatic idea
that shakes its Williams Jurassic Park shackles in its intro for
perhaps a hint of a future theme in a another sequel. That Williams'
fantasy theme is woven throughout this score (and Giacchino's previous
one) because of the liberal adaptation of the legacy theme's iconic
first three notes. But it's even more heavily weighted in Jurassic
World: Fallen Kingdom, different fragments of the original theme
intelligently punctuating the monumental emotional crescendos in
"Volcano to Death" and "To Free or Not to Free." More directly,
Giacchino offers the theme on familiar brass at 0:42 into
"Nostalgia-saurus" and harp at 1:20 into "Volcano to Death." No piano
renditions are featured. The rising, four-note mystery theme from
Williams for the concept as a whole is heard faintly on harp and then
solo horn starting at 1:58 into "The Theropod Preservation Society" and
at 1:34 into "To Free or Not to Free." The famed Williams adventure
theme for the concept is relegated to the opening of "At Jurassic
World's End Credits/Suite," a decent recording but completely out of
place with the demeanor of the entire remainder of the score and film.
There's simply no place for such a brazenly optimistic,
tambourine-striking theme at this point in the franchise, and unless
Giacchino can adapt it into a darker minor-key mode, then it is badly
forced. Williams' four-note carnivore theme is a better match, but it is
only mutated here on low woodwinds to open "Keep Calm and
Baryonyx."

Listeners nostalgic for the original Jurassic
Park themes in the music for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
will also be treated to some noteworthy reprises of Giacchino's own
Jurassic World main theme, itself dissolved from its once
majestic form. A hint of the theme is expressed in the buoyant variation
at 1:17 into "The Theropod Preservation Society," a new melody presented
over the previous theme's base progressions. An extremely satisfying
choral rendition of the actual melody in lamentation mode follows at
1:17 into "March of the Wheatley Cavalcade," an eerie but lovely nod to
Isla Nublar's positive ambitions. A brief melodramatic fragment of the
idea persists at 2:47 into "Go With the Pyroclastic Flow," and a
somewhat victorious extension is cut off at the end of "To Free or Not
to Free." It's adapted near the start of "The Neo-Jurassic Age" on solo
horn, though some listeners might be too distracted by the coincidental
reference to Jerry Goldsmith's friendship motif from his later Star
Trek feature scores to notice. All of the major themes are reprised
in the lengthy "At Jurassic World's End Credits/Suite," starting with
the misplaced Williams adventure melody. The Williams fantasy theme,
frankly, would have made a better inclusion here in some solemn
rendition. But the Jurassic World theme performance at 1:12 in
this suite is a highlight of the entire score, its victorious demeanor
with metallic percussion and trumpet counterpoint a bit oddly placed as
well but satisfying nevertheless. The remainder of that suite alternates
between the main new Fallen Kingdom theme and its secondary
interlude, ranging from mysterious to outright apocalyptic. The
mercenary theme interjects at 6:51, but the recording otherwise stews at
great length with the religious tones of the main theme's two parts.
Unfortunately, the interlude melody is restrained to just lighter
celeste performances in its four appearances here. Giacchino then
concludes the suite the way he opened the score for the pre-logo
sequence (which is where the Indominus theme's cameo exists), with
churning horror rhythms leading to his stylistically screaming choral
charges. The composer provides this striking, sometimes howling vocal
inflection at several points, and it stinks of a composer desperate to
heighten the cheap thrills by any means possible. In Williams' days, the
choir was more judiciously utilized, mostly in a soft, child-like
fantasy mode. That happens here, too, but the script doesn't allow for
such subtlety to persist.

Overall, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a far
better score than the film it accompanies. Without the baggage of the
franchise's past, Giacchino's work here valiantly excels at its
immediate task. The apocalyptic horror and dramatic tragedy elements are
executed as well as possible, and the mix isn't as flat, dull, and dry
as in many of Giacchino's other major works. The composer is making a
concerted effort to retain the general personality of Williams' first
two scores, his orchestrations as faithful as possible and the demeanor
of certain scenes closely resembling their related predecessors. There
is even a dose of percussive personality akin to The Lost World:
Jurassic Park in "Operation Blue Blood." The bass woodwind reliance
is appreciated in "Wilting Iris." The composer officially kills the
Jurassic Park material as appropriate in the offensive "Volcano
to Death" scene, though a more obvious and final, minor-key rendition of
the island's fantasy theme would have been preferable for the
devastating shot of the ship escaping at 0:58 into the cue. One could
argue that the "master villain" expression of victory late in "Shock and
Auction" is a tribute to Williams techniques of yesteryear, even if it's
silly to the point of laughter. The sheer, unrestrained force of some of
these bombastic passages will annoy a few listeners, however. You really
do have to separate out the score's merits as a standalone recording
from the context in which it sometimes struggles. After all, Giacchino's
music, like Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm, suggests to us that humanity
might be completely hopeless in its new reality. Of course, given how
few of these dinosaurs actually escaped Isla Nublar, people could easily
hunt them and the geneticists creating them and kill every last one... a
better expenditure of tax dollars than most other uses. If you can't
distinguish between the illogical and stupid storyline and the Giacchino
score that plays up to the latter's promised hype, then the score could
be dismissed. But for those less concerned with the unlikely path
travelled to reach to this point, the score will be an entertaining romp
with a solid balance of dramatic fantasy and outright horror. The
composer leaves little room for the next score in the franchise,
however; only a regurgitation of Goldsmith's The Omen seems like
a plausible successor in the evolution of this music. It's difficult to
figure how Williams' optimistic, major-key legacy has role to play in
this unnecessarily dreary and divisive concept. Like the Brachiosaurus,
Williams' soaring music has no place in today's violent and hopeless
world. ****@Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:

For Michael Giacchino reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.48
(in 35 reviews)and the average viewer rating is 3.24
(in 17,701 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.